1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a composite lining for automobile doors formed by two walls with volumes between them having at least one function additional to the sealing function, such as ducting for the flow of air from an air conditioner, ducts for electric wires, soundproofing or heat insulation or a side impact protection (by absorbing energy).
2. Description of the Prior Art
The interior of automobile vehicle doors must be sealed to prevent rainwater and dust entering the passenger compartment and coming into contact with the interior lining of the vehicle. One prior art method of providing this seal fixes an impermeable film to the internal structures of the door, the film being disposed in such a way as to direct towards the exterior the water which inevitably infiltrates into the doors via the windows.
These impermeable films are usually in the form of a plastics material film coated with a layer of adhesive for ease of installation. Closed cell synthetic foam has also been used and has the advantage of providing heat insulation and soundproofing of the passenger compartment, in addition to providing a seal. Panels of this kind are also thermoformable and so can fit perfectly to the complex structures of the doors, to which they are fixed by means of a bead of adhesive.
The constant need to improve passenger comfort has led automobile manufacturers to improve air conditioning systems for the passenger compartment. To achieve satisfactory results, ducting must be provided to deliver air from the air conditioner into the passenger compartment near each passenger.
Although this is a relatively simple matter for the front seat passengers, it is often difficult to find room for air conditioning ducts in the rear part of the vehicle: the central console is taken up with electrical and mechanical equipment and so a path through the doors is often preferred, all the more so in that this provides a way of distributing hot air in winter to demist the side windows (see, for example, patent applications FR-A-2 473 962 and FR-A-2 361 232).
Document EP-A-0 551 825 concerns a thermoformed door seal lining disposed between the door structure and the interior covering. The seal lining described in this document has only one wall, however, and it is therefore not possible to provide specific volumes implementing functions additional to the sealing function.
Document EP-A-0 495 712 concerns an automobile door with an interior covering that also provides the sealing function. Because a good appearance is required, since it can be seen from the interior of the passenger compartment, the manufacturer of an interior covering of this kind combined with the sealing means is not only complex and difficult but also extremely costly; moreover, there is no lining proper providing the sealing and additional functions.
Documents DE 25 10 220, FR-A-2 569 146 and EP-A-0 495 712 respectively concern interior coverings, air ducts formed in the interior covering or other devices.
The present invention proposes a composite lining for automobiles which seals the door and provides at least one additional comfort or safety function, such as conducting air from the air conditioner to the side and rear parts of the vehicle, holding and protecting electrical wires, thermal insulation, soundproofing and/or side impact protection; this enhances the safety and the comfort of passengers.